Energy Saving Lamps 

Evolution of Light

Lighting technology has developed from:

Electric lighting is electric energy converted into light. We use terms globe, bulb, lamp, light fitting, etc. An electric current is passed through the globe’s filament e.g. a wire or a gas, thus emitting heat and light.

Fire – oil – paraffin - candles – Hurricane lamp - incandescent globe – high discharge intensity lamps - CFL – halogen – LED’s – fibre optics (the future)

Lumen Efficiency

• Lumen Efficiency refers to useful conversion of power to light

• It is measured in- Lumen / Watt

• Incandescent has the lowest – 90% energy wasted as heat

• Fluorescent lumen is double that of incandescent – 10% energy wasted as heat

• Low Pressure Sodium has the highest efficiency – Road lights

• Warm white has better efficiency than Cool white

• Lumen efficiency over the years have increased due to innovations in all types except incandescent

Lamp life

Lamp life will be determined by the design of the lamp, the voltage going through the amp as well as the material used to construct the lamp. In general, though, these are the average life expectancies of the different lamp types. Note that CFL’s and fluorescent lamps last longer because they are more efficient.

Light	Average Light
High Pressure	10,000 - 40,000
Low Pressure	16,000 - 36,000
Mercury	12,000 - 24,000
Metal	5,000 - 30,000
Fluorescent	12,000 - 20,000
Compact	4,000 - 10,000
Incadesce	750 - 2,000

ESL- Component- Product

** Fact sheet on mercury in CFL